Haven't we been through all this before?

From WaPo:

"Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney's suggestion that criticism of the administration's war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney's point.

"Seventy percent of people surveyed said that criticism of the war by Democratic senators hurts troop morale - with 44 percent saying morale is hurt "a lot," according to a poll taken by RT Strategies. Even self-identified Democrats agree: 55 percent believe criticism hurts morale, while 21 percent say it helps morale."

Ah, no shit sheriff! Soldiers need to feel that they are being supported and with the Democrats [and others] tearing into the policy and leadership in a vocal and visual way... that doesn't help them at all. And damn it, it should be all about the soldiers. Not some freshman politico making noise for his own crowd.

But, it's not just the freshmen is it? NPR lays out Congressman John Murtha's attack of Nov. 17:

"I like guys who've never been there to criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there, and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done. I resent the fact on Veterans Day he criticized Democrats for criticizing them."

The best response to date was by Ralph Peters three days later.

Looking at it from the then battle dress uniform crowd: We - the military as a group - hated the anti-war left's actions during the Gulf War... and to a certain extent, the Fourth Estate who vocalized/parroted for them by the numbers.

It's bad enough that Cindy Sheehan is making every soldier's committment to their oath a cheap gesture. But, that's a place I don't want to go tonight... er, this morning.

Sheehan just needs to go home and go forward from there. And that, Mabel, is just my own, personal $.02.

Tag: Politics, Cindy Sheehan and Iraq.